Angel Reese is now 2-0 in the WNBA playoffs — and the Atlanta Dream are heading to the semifinals for the first time in eight years.
The No. 4 seed Dream closed out their first-round series Wednesday night, beating the No. 5 seed Washington Mystics 93-75 in Game 2 in Washington to complete the 2-0 sweep. Atlanta hasn’t been this far in the postseason since 2018, and this time Reese is driving the run.
The third-year forward — who earned her first career playoff win in Sunday’s Game 1 — added 15 points and seven rebounds in the clincher. The night belonged to a balanced Atlanta attack: five Dream players reached double figures. Allisha Gray led the way with 22 points, four steals and three assists, while Jordin Canada posted 19 points and 11 assists with a playoff career-high four three-pointers. It was Canada’s ninth game this season with at least 10 points and 10 assists.
What made the win more impressive is that Atlanta finished it short-handed. All-Star guard Rhyne Howard fouled out with 6:03 remaining in a whistle-heavy game that saw more than 50 fouls called. The Dream had already lost an early challenge, so they couldn’t contest the call on Howard, but the rest of the roster held the line.
Washington threw everything it had at Atlanta in the second half, cutting the lead to single digits multiple times, but could never keep pace with the Dream’s offense. The Mystics had three players in double figures, led by Sonia Citron’s 25 points, while Kiki Iriafen added a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double. Turnovers doomed the young Washington squad — 19 of them — as Atlanta’s defense, led by AP Defensive Player of the Year Reese, kept the pressure on all night.
For Reese, the postseason is turning into a personal highlight reel. After never reaching the playoffs in two seasons with the Chicago Sky, she has now won both of her first two playoff games with Atlanta, added an AP Defensive Player of the Year award, and led the league in rebounding for a third straight season.
Atlanta now advances to the semifinals, where it will meet the winner of the Lynx-Liberty series — and with the Liberty having swept the top-seeded Lynx, an Atlanta vs. New York semifinal is on deck.
Sources: USA Today (Sep 30, 2026) Game 2 coverage. Stats as reported for Sep 30, 2026.